Welcome to a new Story Sunday tiktakers!
Today we'll be talking about someone who, without a doubt, marked a before and after
in Japan.
If we ask you to think about a stereotypical samurai, you will most likely imagine a Japanese
man with Asian features, wielding a Katana, and wearing samurai armor.
It's most likely that none of you would imagine a black man as a samurai, and that is why
we want to share with you the story of Yasuke, who lived in feudal Japan during the 16th
century, and was actually one of the most powerful samurai.
Do you want to know his story?
Some sources say that Yasuke was born in Mozambique, although others say he came from Nigeria or
Ethiopia.
And according to our research, he came to Japan working for Alessandro Valignano, an
Italian Jesuit missionary.
Yasuke travelled to carry out an inspection tour from India.
As soon as he disembarked in Kyoto, which was Japan's capital at the time, everyone
started talking about him.
He had a height of about 1.9 meters, while Japan's average back then was about 1.57 meters.
Moreover, many Japanese people had never seen a black person before.
He looked strong and powerful, so his very presence was impressive.
When he walked around the streets, people would crowd around him to see him more closely,
and one of them turned out being one of the most powerful feudal lords in Japanese history:
Oda Nobunaga.
Yasuke was the first black man he had ever seen, and some writings even say that Nobunaga
wanted to scratch Yasuke's skin to test if it was real.
Little by little they got to know each other, and Yasuke's incredible character really made
an impression in the feudal lord: He had great fighting skills, was a great warrior, and
could also express himself very well.
Thus, they ended up becoming friends.
Yasuke became Nobunaga's right hand, and joined the inner circle of the feudal lord.
Because of this, Nobunaga eventually granted Yasuke the title of samurai, being the first
foreigner in history to receive this title.
Yasuke was with his friend Nobunaga until the end, in a very literal sense tiktakers:
One night, one of the generals who served the feudal lord betrayed him and set his palace
on fire.
Nobunaga was cornered in a room, so he decided to end his own life instead.
However, before dying, it is said that he asked Yasuke to decapitate him, and take his
head and sword to his son.
This was yet another sign of his trust.
Little is known about Yasuke's life after that.
After Nobunaga's death, you could say that history lost track of him.
Some historians believe he had to leave Japan, but even then, his story keeps being transmitted
in the country through oral tradition and books.
It's also interesting to note that Yasuke's story has also caught the attention of Hollywood
and film producers.
Before passing away, Chadwick Boseman was going to play the role of Yasuke in a film
the industry has been working on for quite a while.
Not only that, but Netflix also released an anime series based on Yasuke's life.
Is premiered on April 29 of 2021, and it's a western and Japanese co-production titled
"Yasuke".
Thus, this show is added to the long list of movies, novels and dramas which want to
revive the black samurai.
This anime was created by LeSean Thomas, it was animated by Studio Mappa, and takes place
in an alternate feudal Japan reimagined with magic and advanced technology.
20 years after losing his friend, Yasuke lives in isolation and tries to hide his past.
However, his life changes when a woman asks for his help.
To learn what happens next, we invite you to check out the show tiktakers, so you can
give us your opinions about it.
The first season has six episodes, and people are saying that the animation is pretty good.
However, the plot hasn't received very favorable reviews: You could end up enjoying it, or
maybe not.
What do you say tiktakers?
Will you watch Yasuke?
And were you familiar with the story of the black samurai?